Why were white clergy so reluctant to engage in this issue? It may be because they lead suburban congregations composed by and large of parishioners whose daily lives are socially isolated, antiseptic, homogeneous, and largely segregated by race and class. It may also be the lingering legacy of the South, except that many of the faith leaders, like those in the pews, have moved here from other regions of the country. They have different explanations for the silence. They may simply have been waiting for all the facts of the incident to emerge, and not rush to judgment.
“To be honest, I don’t know why,” said the Rev. David Charlton, the recently arrive pastor of Sanford’s First United Methodist Church. “I don’t have a good answer, and it’s happened on my front steps.”
Read it all (and alert blog readers are asked to note the quote from Bishop Greg Brewer mentioned in the previous blog post–KSH)
I will take comments on this submitted by email only to at KSHarmon[at]mindspring[dot]com.
I certainly sense that one of the reasons for quiet/restraint is that we simply do not know what happened exactly as of yet:
http://www.sanfordfl.gov/investigation/docs/Zimmerman_Martin_shooting.pdf
From SJA–
“I would imagine that many that aren’t prone to instant outrage are reserving judgment until all the facts are known. The Duke Lacrosse and Tawana Brawley episodes proved that instant outrage belied the facts (or even the lies) in those episodes.
“Rest in the LORD and wait patiently for Him;
Do not fret because of him who prospers in his way,
Because of the man who carries out wicked schemes.
Cease from anger and forsake wrath;
Do not fret; it leads only to evildoing.
For evildoers will be cut off,
But those who wait for the LORD, they will inherit the land. ” Psalm 37:7-9″